A typical boy with ADHD can appear to be in perpetual motion, but that activity doesn’t guarantee a healthy weight when he grows up. A long-term study released Monday finds that men diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as children are twice as likely to be overweight or obese in adulthood as those who never had the disorder.

These findings, published in Pediatrics, may be surprising to parents because drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall used to treat ADHD can suppress appetite, said Dr. F. Xavier Castellanos, the study co-author and a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University.

Robert Bukaty / AP

Ritalin can suppress the appetite in children who take it for ADHD.

“It’s not uncommon for kids treated with ADHD medications to be fairly thin,” Castellanos said. Because parents often worry that thinner boys won't grow as tall, “sometimes [they] will encourage their boys to eat more.”

Instead, to help avert weight problems down the road, parents should be alert to poor eating habits. “If anything, you have to pay attention to how many times they’re having fast food, how many times they’re having fried food, whether they’re getting meals supersized," Castellanos said.

The study comes at a time when ADHD rates are rising. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that ADHD is the most common mental health issue in children ages 3-17, with nearly 7 percent of kids receiving a diagnosis.

The NYU researchers followed 222 boys -- 111 with ADHD and 111 without, for an average of 33 years -- hoping to better understand the disorder's effects on the brain. The boys with ADHD, all from middle-class, white families, were diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 12.

Decades later, when some of the men returned for brain scans, many of the now 40-something adults who had ADHD as children had gained so much weight they barely fit into the fMRI machine, Castellanos said.

The researchers then asked about the body-mass index of all 222 participants, discovering that men diagnosed with ADHD as children were significantly heavier than those without the disorder. The average BMI for the ADHD participants was 30.1, compared to 27.6 among those who never had the disorder. The obesity rate among the men who’d had an ADHD diagnosis was 41.4 percent, compared to 21.6 percent among those who never had the disorder.

An adult with a BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Castellanos suggested the connection between obesity and an ADHD diagnosis may be explained by some of the disorder's common symptoms: lack of impulse control; difficulty paying attention to details; and poor planning skills. These symptoms could lead to problems such as unhealthy food choices and an irregular eating patterns that continue into adulthood, he said.

While the study was only of men, Castellanos suspects that the results would hold true for women as well. 

The new study “shows exactly what I would have expected,” said child psychiatrist Dr. James McGough, director of the UCLA ADHD clinic. “People with ADHD have a terrible time delaying gratification. They’re very impulsive and they don’t think about consequences. Their problems with organization may make it more difficult to stay on a regular eating schedule which leaves them more likely to binge eat.”

Obesity expert Dana Rofey says “sneak eating and aberrant eating patterns” are common among many of her young, male patients with the disorder.

“Once they start eating, they don’t stop,” said Rofey, an assistant professor of pediatric psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and weight management director at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Rofey hopes the study will prompt parents to help their sons develop healthful eating habits -- before they become a problem.

“That may mean tracking food intake or using a pedometer to keep track of activity, she said. “You want to encourage your child to do more outside with their friends, instead of spending hours texting or looking up their friends on Facebook.”

Related:

• New psychiatric manual stirs criticism

Rachael Rettner
MyHealthNewsDaily
The practice of prescribing stimulant drugs to healthy kids who are looking for a mental boost is not justifiable, and should come to an end, a group of doctors says. 

The American Academy of Neurology released a position statement on the issue out of concern over the rising use of stimulant drugs — used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — in healthy kids.

Over the last two decades, there's been a 20 percent increase in ADHD diagnoses, and a tenfold increase in the production and consumption of ADHD medications. And a 2012 government survey found that between 3 and 8 percent of U.S. high school seniors say they've taken Ritalin or Adderall — both ADHD medications — without a prescription.

Teens reportedly use the drugs, which can boost mental focus, as study aids to cram for tests and get good grades.

Whether doctors are intentionally prescribing ADHD drugs to healthy kids, or whether they mistakenly diagnose the children with ADHD based on children's reports of their own symptoms, is not clear.

Teens may fake symptoms of the behavioral disorder, or parents may lie to doctors for their children to get the drugs. In other cases, doctors might prescribe drugs for "normal" symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating and thinking after hours and hours of work, said Dr. William Graf, a professor of pediatrics and neurology at Yale School of Medicine, and an author of the position paper.

Because these drugs require a prescription, doctors are playing a role in how they end up in the hands of healthy children, either directly or indirectly, Graf said. Therefore, doctors should limit the use of these drugs in kids as much as possible to prevent their abuse.

One way to do this would be to give children a thorough examination before diagnosing ADHD, which is recommended but not always done, he said.

Side effects of ADHD medications can include nervousness, appetite suppression and insomnia. There's also been some suggestion that the drugs increase the risk of heart problems in kids with underlying conditions.

In kids who truly have ADHD, the benefits of drugs may outweigh the side effects. But for those who don't have the condition, the benefit is not as great, and the side effects may not be worth the risks, Graf said.

What's more, the drugs have not been studied in healthy kids, so we don't know what the long-term effects are, Graf  told MyHealthNewsDaily. 

Because children can't always make the best decisions for themselves, doctors have a professional obligation to protect them from misusing drugs that may cause them harm later in life, Graf said.

The position paper is published today (March 13) in the journalNeurology.

• The Old Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents
• 8 Strange Signs You're Having an Allergic Reaction
• 10 Medical Myths that Just Won't Go Away 

By Elaine Lies
Reuters
Nearly a third of people diagnosed as children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still have the condition in adulthood, according to a U.S. study of thousands. 

The researchers, whose findings appeared in Pediatrics, also found that these people were more likely to develop other mental disorders, such as anxiety or depression, and commit suicide.

Lead by William Barbaresi from Boston Children's Hospital, they found that about 29 percent of participants in the study who were diagnosed with ADHD as children ended up carrying that diagnosis over into their late twenties.

"They still clearly had symptoms that continued to be consistent with that diagnosis," said Barbaresi. "But that in itself has been an area of difficulty and controversy."

ADHD, the most common neuro-developmental condition, affects between 3 percent and 7 percent of U.S. school children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It's more common in boys than in girls.

The CDC says children with ADHD tend to have a hard time paying attention, to be forgetful, fidget and be easily distracted, to the point that it creates problems at school, home and with their friends.

For their study - which Barbaresi started while at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota - the researchers followed 5,718 children who were born in that area between 1976 and 1982. Of those, 387 were diagnosed with ADHD as children and gave the researchers access to their medical records.

Barbaresi and his colleagues then invited the participants to be re-evaluated when they were 29. Overall, 232 of the childhood ADHD patients agreed to take part, and the researchers found that 68 still had the disorder - around 29 percent.

But even those whose ADHD diagnosis did not persist into adulthood were still more likely to suffer from at least one psychiatric condition other than ADHD, with at least 57 percent suffering with such things as alcohol or substance abuse, anxiety or depression.

That compared to 35 percent of the people in a comparison group who did not have ADHD while growing up.

People diagnosed with ADHD were also more likely to commit suicide. Researchers found that 3 of the 387 participants with childhood ADHD had committed suicide, compared to just 7 of the 4,946 non-ADHD participants.

"The finding about suicide is new," said Mary Solanto, director of the ADHD Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. "It was suggested in another one of these ... studies, but in this study the sample size was large enough for it to be significant."

Solanto, who was not involved in the new research, said that many of the study's other findings had been seen previously, but that this study was larger and the subjects were drawn from the general population.

The study's authors warned that their findings may not apply to children across the United States because the study participants were from mostly white, middle-class families in one part of Minnesota.

"There are a lot of people who have had it (ADHD) that learned to cope and deal with it," Solanto said. "But in order for that to happen, it's important to diagnose and treat it as soon as possible." 

In just 10 years the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, rose dramatically, a  large new study suggests.

Overall, about 5 percent of nearly 843,000 kids ages 5 to 11 were diagnosed between 2001 and 2010 with the condition that can cause impulsive behavior and trouble concentrating. But during that time, rates of new ADHD diagnoses skyrocketed 24 percent – jumping from 2.5 percent in 2001 to 3.1 percent in 2010.

That’s according to a comprehensive review of medical records for children who were covered by the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan.  Rates rose most among minority kids during the study period, climbing nearly 70 percent overall in black children, and 60 percent among Hispanic youngsters, according the study published in JAMA Pediatrics. Among black girls, ADHD rates jumped 90 percent.

Rates remained highest in white children, climbing from 4.7 percent to 5.6 percent during the study period.

The biggest factor driving this increase may be the heightened awareness of ADHD among parents, teachers, and pediatricians, says the study’s lead author Dr. Darios Getahun, a scientist with Kaiser Permanente. For kids who need help, that’s a good thing, Getahun says.

“The earlier a diagnosis is made, the earlier we can initiate treatment which leads to a better outcome for the child,” he says.

Unlike previous studies in which researchers relied on reports from parents and teachers to say whether a child had ADHD, the new study tracked kids who were diagnosed according to ADHD medical codes entered by child and adolescent psychiatrists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians, child psychologists and neurologists.

ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders. Experts estimate that anywhere from 4 percent to 12 percent of school-age children are affected, many of whom continue to suffer from the disorder into adulthood.

Rates of diagnosis in the new study were greater in families with higher incomes, with nearly three-quarters of kids with ADHD coming from families that earned more than $50,000 a year.

“Higher rates of ADHD observed in affluent, white families likely represent an effort by these highly educated parents to seek help for their children who may not be fulfilling their expectations for schoolwork,” Getahun and his co-workers write.

Boys still outnumber girls 3 to 1 in ADHD diagnoses, but the gap appears to be closing among black girls.

“The increasing rate of ADHD among girls is an interesting finding and could represent an effort by parents to get more help for their daughters,” the authors say.

There was no change in the rate among Asian kids, but Getahun suspects this may have something to do with culture. Asians, as a rule, have been less likely to use mental health services and are more likely to discontinue therapy despite having equal access to care, Getahun says.

A child development specialist unaffiliated with the new study says he suspects that increased awareness of ADHD may have contributed to the increasing rate of diagnosis.

“Heightened professional awareness in general and improved efforts to detect ADHD exert an influence, but we cannot tell the magnitude of that,” says Alan Kazdin, the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University.

With all the coverage of the condition in the media, parents and teachers now have a better sense of what signs to look for, Kazdin says.

“Heightened awareness in the media, by parents and by teachers, too, may play a role. A child who in previous years just was said not to be able to control himself might now be more finely described.”

Related stories: 

• Childhood ADHD may limit adult achievements
• ADHD overdiagnosed in youngest kids in class
• Number of women on ADHD meds soars

By MyHealthNewsDaily Staff

Having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child may affect a person’s education and salary prospects years later, a new study suggests.

In the study, men who were diagnosed with ADHD as children achieved lower levels of education and earned less money at age 41 compared with men who did not have the condition in childhood.

In addition, men diagnosed with ADHD were more likely to be divorced, have a substance abuse disorder or have been in prison compared to those without childhood ADHD.

The findings "highlight the importance of extended monitoring and treatment of children with ADHD," the researchers said.

About 3 to 5 percent of schoolchildren have ADHD, or problems with attentiveness, over-activity and impulsivity that are abnormal for the children's ages, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Previously, researchers thought ADHD symptoms disappeared during the teenage years, but studies have found this is not always the case. Some reports show higher rates of antisocial personality disorders and substance abuse disorders in young adults who were diagnosed with ADHD as children, the researchers said. However, few studies have followed people who had childhood ADHD into their 30s or beyond.

In the new study, Rachel Klein, of New York University's Langone Medical Center, and colleagues analyzed information from 135 white men who were diagnosed with ADHD at around age 8, and followed them for more than 30 years. Researchers also looked at 136 men who were not diagnosed with ADHD as children.

On average, men with childhood ADHD completed 2.5 fewer years of education, and earned about $40,000 less annually than those without ADHD.

Only about 3.7 percent of participants with childhood ADHD obtained a graduate degree, compared with about 30 percent of those without ADHD.

In addition, 36 percent of participants with childhood ADHD had gone to prison for at least one day in their lives, compared with 11 percent of those without ADHD. Nine percent of participants with childhood ADHD were divorced, compared with 3 percent without ADHD.

ADHD participants were not at increased risk of anxiety or mood disorders, however, the study found.

The study began in the 1970s, when little was known about diagnosing or treating children who had ADHD, the researchers noted. However, the study did exclude children with conduct disorder, which is a related behavior problem in which children exhibit aggressive or antisocial behavior.

Because the study included only white males, it's not clear if the results apply to women or to other ethnic groups, the researchers said. In addition, the results were based on self-reports, which may not be entirely accurate.

The study was published online today (Oct. 15) in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Follow MyHealthNewsDaily on Twitter@MyHealth_MHND. We're also onFacebook&Google+.

• The Old Drug Talk: 7 New Tips for Today's Parents
• Hypersex to Hoarding: 7 New Psychological Disorders
• 7 Ways to Reduce Job Stress

Children's risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life may be tied to how much fish their mothers ate while pregnant, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers writing in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that eating at least two servings of fish per week was linked to about a 60 percent lower risk of kids developing certain ADHD-like symptoms.

But elevated mercury levels, which can also come from eating more fish - depending on the fish - were tied to a higher risk of developing the symptoms, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness.

Though the study did not prove cause and effect, and did not use a formal diagnosis of ADHD, it may offer insights into a condition that's estimated to have an impact on one in 10 children in the United States, researchers say.

"The really important message is to eat fish," said Sharon Sagiv, the study's lead author from the Boston University School of Public Health.

"Just stay away from mercury-containing fish, because these protective effects are pretty important."

Sagiv said it's best to stay away from "big fishes," such as tuna and swordfish, which typically contain the most mercury. Instead, stick to fishes such as haddock and salmon.

Past studies looking at the link between mercury and ADHD have produced conflicting results.

For the new study, the researchers followed 788 children who were born near New Bedford, Massachusetts, between 1993 and 1998. They used hair samples taken from the mothers right after delivery to test their mercury levels, and food diaries to see how much fish they ate.

Then, once the children were about 8 years old, the researchers asked their teachers to evaluate the kids' behaviors to see how many exhibited ADHD-like symptoms.

After taking all of the information into account, the researchers found 1 microgram of mercury per gram of a mother's hair - about eight times the average levels found in similar women's hair in another analysis - was tied to about a 60 percent increase in the risk of their child exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors.

But there was no link below 1 microgram of mercury per gram of a mother's hair.

Sagiv added that the negative effects from lower levels of mercury may be canceled out by the benefits from eating fish. The children appeared to be 60 percent less likely to exhibit impulsive or hyperactive behaviors if their mothers ate two or more servings of fish per week.

That finding conflicts with the U.S. government's recommendation that says pregnant women should eat no more than two six-ounce servings of fish per week to limit their exposure to mercury.

"I think it does call into question those guidelines, but this is only one study and the results should be confirmed," Sagiv told Reuters health.

In an editorial that appeared with the study, Bruce Lanphear at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, echoed Sagiv's advice on avoiding "big fishes."

In the long term, we have to really find ways to fight contamination levels in fish so years from now we don't have to give this advice," he added.

Related: 

'Supertasters' may also be better than you at fighting infections

Is it possible to be too clean? Researchers say yes

Doctors have mixed reaction to vaccinations at school

Correction: An earlier version of this story contained a headline that drew an incorrect conclusion from the study.

FDA

White, round pills marketed as Teva's 30-milligram Adderall are counterfeit, the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.

Federal health officials are warning consumers and medical providers about fake versions of the ADHD drug Adderall being sold on the Internet.

The counterfeit 30-milligram tablets contain the wrong active ingredients, according to preliminary laboratory tests by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Instead of containing the four active ingredients in prescription Adderall, the fake tablets contain only tramadol and acetaminophen, medications used to treat acute pain.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the manufacturer of Adderall, which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, contacted the FDA after a consumer reported buying the counterfeit drugs online. Authentic Adderall is a controlled substance that requires special dispensing controls for pharmacists.

The counterfeit drugs are round, white and do not have any type of markings, such as letters and numbers. Authentic Adderall 30-milligram tablets are round, orange or peach and scored, with “dp” embossed on one side and “30” on the other side of the tablet. The Teva products are packaged only in a 100-count bottle with National Drug Code 0555-0768-02 listed.

In addition, the fake drugs are sold in blister packs and they have misspellings on the packaging, FDA officials said.

Adderall and other ADHD medications have been in short supply and listed on the FDA’s drug shortage list for more than a year. The authentic drug contains four ingredients: dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate and amphetamine sulfate. The FDA and drugmakers have blamed problems with the supply of the active pharmaceutical ingredients for the dearth of the product. Teva continues to ship the drug as it becomes available.

It’s possible the shortages have prompted consumers to seek alternative sources for the drugs. The FDA urged extra caution buying drugs online.

"The counterfeit versions of Adderall should be considered unsafe, ineffective and potentially harmful," FDA officials said in a statement. 

Related stories: 

• Lingering shortage of ADHD medication unravels lives
• Number of women on ADHD meds soars
• Amid shortages, rules force hospitals to toss scarce drugs

Read the latest health news from Vitals:

• Changing health care: It's never going to be easy
• 'Mermaid girl' from Peru needs a kidney transplant
• Suck it up, kid: Many pediatricians ignore infant pain

Chris Langer for msnbc.com

Kate Skinn, 32 of Sheffield Lake, counts out the remaining doses of Adderall that treat her attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Skinn is among millions of Americans affected by a lingering shortage of vital medications.

After nearly 10 months, the nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs has taken a toll on Kate Skinn.

The 32-year-old Ohio woman had to take a medical leave from college because she can’t focus on her reading. She’s lost income from her job as a waitress because she’s distracted at work. And she’s had to struggle even harder than usual juggling the needs of her boyfriend and their four children, all because she can’t reliably get the Adderall that helps her cope.

“It’s impossible to manage all the facets of my life and do my schoolwork,” said Skinn, of Sheffield Lake, Ohio, who was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder three years ago. “When I can’t take my medicine, I can’t concentrate. I’ll start everything I need to do, but never complete any of it.”

She’s among millions of Americans struggling to deal with the worst drug shortage in United States history. ADHD drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin, first reported as scarce last spring, are only a fraction of the 251 medications in short supply so far this year, up from 211 in 2010, according to University of Utah Drug Information Service.

The issue drew renewed attention Thursday, when the White House issued an interim rule that requires drugmakers that are the only producers of certain critical medications to report to the Food and Drug Administration all manufacturing interruptions that could disrupt supplies.

It follows an October executive order in which President Barack Obama directed the FDA and the Department of Justice to take bolder steps to resolve the worsening scarcity.

Shortages of life-saving drugs, such as those used to treat cancer, and medically necessary drugs, such as anesthetics and painkillers, have sparked the most dire concerns, experts say.

But shortages of the ADHD drugs widely used to help an estimated 5.4 million children and 1.5 million adults concentrate daily are also worrisome, especially as the problem continues.

“We get those reports from patients saying I had to drive three hours to get my ADHD prescription and this is the third, fourth or fifth time,” said Erin Fox, manager of the Drug Information Service, which tracks drug supply issues. “We’re hearing from moms who are so worried and upset about not getting the drugs their kids need every day.”

FDA officials, too, say the ADHD drug shortage has drawn a lot of attention.

“We’re hearing the same thing: that patients aren’t able to get these drugs,” said Valerie Jensen, associate director of the FDA’s drug shortage program. “We’re continuing to check with the companies about their expected resolution dates.”

Drugmakers say that increased demand and difficulty obtaining supplies of the raw materials used to manufacture the drugs are behind the ongoing ADHD pill shortages. But an official with the government agency that allocates those controlled substances says from his vantage, there’s plenty of raw material out there.

Chris Langer for msnbc.com

Kate Skinn watches TV with her 4-year-old son, Markus, who also needs medication to treat his ADHD.

The DEA allocates an aggregate amount of medically necessary supplies of controlled drugs -- for instance, 56 million grams of methylphenidate in 2011 -- and then doles out confidential portions to each drugmaker.

“We’ve given them quota sufficient to meet the needs and then it’s up to them how they manufacture their product,” said Gary Boggs, a supervisory special agent for the Office of Diversion for the federal Drug Enforcement Agency.

Company business decisions surrounding competition, marketing -- and profit margins -- are behind many of the troubles that patients have encountered, Boggs added. Manufacturers might make more of an expensive brand-name drug and not enough of a generic version. Or they may distribute too much product in one place, causing a shortage somewhere else.

“This isn’t just a clean there is either product or not product,” Boggs said. “There’s a whole lot of different dynamics in here.”

Drugmakers declined to discuss specifics of their DEA allocations.

Still, those dynamics have reshaped Kate Skinn’s life.

In the past 10 months, she’s had to drive to multiple pharmacies trying to get the different ADHD drugs used by four members of her family, including her 4-year-old son, Markus.

“I have to actually block out a whole day of my life to figure out if I’m going to have medication for the next day,” said Skinn.

Because the drugs are controlled substances, she and other patients have to follow strict rules governing prescriptions and refills. Skinn sometimes skips a dose at night in order to hoard them for times when she might run out.

“For people with ADHD, there’s already a stigma attached to it,” she said. “You end up feeling like you’re drug-seeking. It doesn’t make you feel good.”

In recent weeks, the ADHD shortage has shown signs of easing. Brand-name Adderall XR, the extended-release version produced for the drug company Shire Pharmaceuticals, has been logged as available in “adequate” supplies. Company spokesman Matt Cabrey said that’s because the DEA granted an increase in the firm’s allocation of amphetamine mixed salts used to make the drug.

Other firms, as well, say that as they receive their new DEA allocations in the new year, the shortages may subside.

That would be welcome news for patients like Skinn, but drug supply experts say they've heard that before -- and no one should count on it.

Related stories:

Shortage of ADHD drugs sends parents scrambling

Price-gougers hike drug costs during shortage

Drug shortages slam patients, health workers, surveys show

Half of hospitals buy back-door drugs, survey shows

While more boys than girls are treated for ADHD, a new report shows that among adults, the numbers have flipped. Women’s use of medications for the condition has soared in the past decade, surpassing that of men.

From 2001 to 2010, the number of American women ages 20 to 44 who took ADHD drugs skyrocketed more than 250 percent, according to the report from Medco Health Solutions. Researchers analyzed trends in the use of mental health medications among about 2.5 million insured Americans.

Among all 20- to 44-year-olds, about one in 50 took ADHD medications in 2010 — 1.9 percent of women, and 1.8 percent of men, whose use increased more than 150 percent from 2001 to 2010. One factor for the rise in adults taking ADHD drugs might be that all five medications indicated for treating the condition have been approved since 2001.

Since ADHD doesn’t pop up all of a sudden in adulthood, it's likely that women who started taking meds in the past decade flew under the radar until they became adults, says Dr. Lenard Adler, director of the Psychiatry and Neurology Adult ADHD Program at the New York University School of Medicine.

That’s because girls are less likely than boys to exhibit the “H”—for hyperactivity—in ADHD, so boys with the condition are more likely to be noticed, says Adler, who was not involved with the Medco report. But as children grow into adulthood, he says, the “attention deficit” component of ADHD becomes more prominent, because grown-ups have a lot more to keep track of.

The girls whose ADHD had gone unrecognized, chalked up to laziness or lack of motivation in school, grow into women who stumble when they encounter the real world of work and family. They can’t hold jobs, and, because they are so disorganized, they pay their bills late, if at all, lose track of appointments and misplace their kids’ school permission slips.

Parenthood often leads to adults finally getting an ADHD diagnosis, Adler says. “Many times for a parent, what will bring them in to be diagnosed is they have a child who’s been diagnosed.” The parents might recognize that their child’s symptoms are ones they themselves have dealt with for years.

When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, he says, there’s a 30 percent to 40 percent chance that a parent has it, too. Of those parents, the moms are more likely to seek professional help than the dads, explains Russell Barkley, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina who’s long studied ADHD in adults. And in the last couple of years, Barkley says, he’s been interviewed for a number of articles about ADHD in women, which have probably heightened awareness.

Adler says he’s glad the data show more women are seeking treatment, but since 4.5 percent of adults are thought to have ADHD, it's clear that less than half are getting help. “There’s a large group out there still not being treated,” he says.